Australian police detainees who use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and their involvement in violent crimes compared to detainees using substances other than AAS

•Being charged with a violent crime does not seem to be a unique feature of detainees who use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), with the prevalence of violent crime among detainees no different to those who use other substances.•The link between violence and AAS use is complex, with poly-drug use and risk-taking behaviours more broadly seeming to play an important role.•Caution needs to be applied when depicting AAS as a direct precursor to violence.•Programs are needed that support violent offenders to overcome their drug dependence and their criminal offending.